Austrian chemist Michael Hummel had just completed his doctoral dissertation at the University of Innsbruck in his hometown when Professor Herbert Sixta collected information related to the Future Biorefinery project.
research group to develop a technology later known as Ioncell for making more ecological textiles from cellulose. Sixta had connections in Innsbruck, and Hummel thought he could go to Finland for a year or two.
“The project had just received funding, and there was no research infrastructure. My first task was to think about what kind of equipment we would need, and I started designing it with the manufacturers. It took a year and a half before the device was ready, so I wanted to continue,” he says.
After that, the work continued with a series of failures for more than two years.
“I didn’t want to give up because I felt like we were close to a solution, where someone else would have reaped the rewards. When the breakthrough was achieved, of course I didn’t want to leave.”
Luck was on the way, as the five-year funding provided enough time and the breakthrough came less than a year before its end, which ensured funding for follow-up projects.
“I often say that success requires not only hard work and dedication, but also a little bit of luck.”
Although Hummel has continued to work on the same technology, the success was a turning point that brought a huge boost. He has also been well-funded since then – for example, a €1,5 million grant from the European Research Council helped propel his academic career.
"My success rate is not above average, and for every successful application, there are ten times as many rejected applications. However, it is worth investing in your writing and presentation skills. No matter how talented you are in your field, no one will notice if you can't communicate."
After the Ioncell breakthrough, Hummel returned to Austria part-time, but then chose Finland.
“The research topic at Aalto was more interesting, and I enjoyed the open work culture and progressive atmosphere here.”
Hummel currently works as a professor at the Department of Bioproducts and Biotechnology and as the director of the Bioinnovation Center, which was established in 2021.
"I believe that innovations can arise where activities are truly interdisciplinary. Internationality also helps – people from different backgrounds always have a slightly different perspective."
Michael Hummel
– Professor, Director of the Bioinnovation Center at Aalto University
– Education: Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry), University of Innsbruck
– Hobbies: Takes care of his fitness at the gym, otherwise 2 and 4 year old children make sure that he doesn't get involved in hobbies
time.
– Special: The family's everyday life can accommodate four languages: English, German, Swedish and Finnish, as the spouse is Finnish-Swedish, a mutual
The language is English, with the children we both speak our native language and the children also speak Finnish.
– Motto: Time is our most valuable commodity, so it should be used wisely.
